Court of Qajar Kings, 2023

Mohammad Ariyaei  

Acrylic painting on paper

Signed lower right

Unique work

THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS OF MOHAMMAD ARIYAEI

"Softness and oriental wisdom follow the supercharged bubbling to which Mohammad ARIYAEI's previous deliberately art brut exhibition had accustomed us. The imagination of the Iranian painter passes serenely from the wildest frenzy to the meditative calm of great fabulous stories. The artist enjoyed then to pour the volcanic torrent of his barbaric figures onto the very fine trellis with which he is accustomed to lining his backgrounds with the patience of an illuminating monk. Already sweetness and paroxysm coexisted. Now gentleness wins. trained imagination of the painter, yet spontaneously bubbling, by instinct as much as by erudition, has no difficulty in reconnecting with the abundant oriental tradition of the thousand and one nights, which, like a long underground river, resurfaces in the light of his painting. Spring revival of traditions still alive. Systematic filling of space, a sort of oriental version of the Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, teeming with legendary reminiscences, Persian of course, but also Assyrian, or even from Indian or Chinese folklore . The decorative luxuriance of Persian rugs finds a new lease of life here. Just as carpets fly away in Persian tales, the imagination of anyone who is immersed in this universe of high fantasy hovers in a timeless reverie of the Golden Age where the most colorful of mythological fauns are active. Winged horses, centaurs, grimacing demons, horned monsters, cloven-footed genies, everything invites the viewer to tell a thousand stories. Women strike lazy poses in luxurious hammams. Why are they black? This is apparently the traditional color that legend attributes to the jinns, spirits of nature coming from a smokeless fire. Similar to elusive supernatural beings, they are more subliminal fantasies than carnal reality. Limitless abundance, the impression of embracing with your eyes a universe of inexhaustible treasures, what was confidential in illumination expands, overflows everywhere and attains the dignity of wall dimensions. "

Xavier BUREAU